Vegas: Evolution
by the morrighan
Summary: The final wrap-up to the Vegas series.
1. Chapter 1

Vegas: Evolution

"_How paramount the future is to the present when one is surrounded by children."_

**15 years after invasion.**

"Receiving telemetry now. There seems to be one large land mass near the equator…almost a super continent but not quite yet. The various continents are still separated but much closer now. There's an indentation in the center, well, off-center, like an inland lake but I think it is part of the ocean just being closed in by the encroachment of the tectonic plates. Most of the planet is ocean."

Colonel John Sheppard, formerly Detective John Sheppard glanced over at his wife as she was staring at the screen in front of her. Her expression was serious, bathed in the bluish light of the scanner as facts and figures filled the screen. He momentarily scowled. Instead of a long ponytail her hair was now cut shorter and only fell to her shoulders. He preferred her hair longer but resigned himself to wait until it grew back.

Instead he let his gaze wander over her curves, snug in a white t-shirt and khaki pants. He licked his lips, eyes following the swells of her body as salacious ideas filled his mind and he wondered if he could find a way to stow away his two sons in the rear compartment for an hour or so.

"Dad, the ship's detecting interference. Dad?"

John eyed his elder son. Johnny Sheppard was seated in the co-pilot's chair, hands resting on the controls. He didn't need a screen to access the Jumper's information, as his double ATA gene made it all available to him instantly. John activated the HUD and eyed the screen. "Just some residual static from the magnetic belt. Nothing to worry about, junior. Moy, atmosphere?"

Moira Sheppard glanced at her husband suspiciously, as if sensing his carnal thoughts then to the screen in front of her. "Reading normal…oxygen level is a little lower but breathable. No toxins except near that huge crater but it looks to be zoned off somehow. An artificial construct of some kind. Life readings are sporadic but there. Seamus, can you narrow this down to only count the human population centers?"

"Yes, mommy! I mean, mom," Seamus Sheppard corrected hearing the snort of derision from his older brother. He scooted next to her and touched the data pad. His double ATA instantly instructed the instrument as to what he wanted. "Coding in blue, mommy, er, mom."

Moira smiled, kissed his brow. "It's all right, honey. Johnny junior," she warned, glancing over as the other boy snorted.

"Sorry, mom." Yet the boy exchanged a wry expression with his father. He was a younger, mirror image of the older man, even down to the wayward brown hair and the smirk.

"I'm seeing scattered population centers, mostly around the inland sea and on the far coasts." Moira frowned, shaking her head. "There is less than we were led to believe, John. Seamus, can you narrow the parameters?"

"Yes. Where?"

"Here." She pointed to the map of the land mass. Seamus nodded, chewing on his lower lip just like his mother did, but in appearance he resembled his father very closely, even down to the green eyes. "Very good, honey," she said softly, causing the little boy to softly smile. "John?"

"Got it here, Moy. Good job, Seamus! Johnny, how is the cloak holding?"

"At ninety-five percent, dad. Should I boost it?"

"No. That damn, er, darn," he corrected at Moira's exasperated glance, "drive pod is just a little loose. We will have to have McKay fix it when we get back. Again."

"Uncle Rod will fix it, daddy! Uncle Rod can fix anything!" Seamus enthused.

John shrugged. "Everything except the DVD player," John corrected. "We will have to see, won't we, buddy? I just hope Ems is coping all on her own in Atlantis helping Auntie Katie."

Moira smiled at the concern over their young daughter. "I'm sure she is fine, John. She wanted to stay in the city to help Katie prepare the nursery. I told you she has no head for science. Not like these two bright boys here." Pride shone in her voice and the boys beamed.

John snorted. "Wonderful. One scientist is enough in this family!" The boys laughed.

Moira shrugged. "We certainly only need one grumpy detective. Isn't that right, boys?"

"Yes, mom!" they chorused, but giggled as John glowered at them.

"Hilarious, Moira! Locating target for final approach." He frowned. "There are some energy signatures, but nothing of significance. Huh. You'd think the levels would be higher, wouldn't you? Yet another thing the reports got wrong."

"The poles. There's not much ice there but that will change radically once the supercontinent forms," Moira noted. She sighed, shook her head. "We should have brought a team of geologists, John."

"No. They can't be spared from Atlantis right now. Besides, this outing is ours," he countered. "We should have insisted Emily come along with us."

"She would complain the whole trip, dad," Johnny argued, frowning.

"And she doesn't like flying," Seamus added.

"I know, I know, but she's young yet," John grumbled. It irked him that a kid of his, any kid of his would dislike flying. The love of flying was in his blood, even when he had been a detective and effectively grounded from all flight. He had assumed it would be passed on to his kids with a little gentle prompting, and so it had, at least in the boys.

"Maybe she will be a detective. She is a good snoop," Moira noted. The boys laughed.

John smiled. "That she is. Yes, another detective would be fine. Just no more scientists!"

"Spoilsport," Moira taunted, making the boys giggle.

"Dad, can I fly her in?" Johnny asked.

John shook his head. "After that comment, no. Not this time, junior. One more flyby and then we go in. Boys, strap in now. Scans down. Keeping cloak just in case. Radio silence on all frequencies. No need to announce our presence just yet." John's fingers played on the controls. Even after all of this time it still amazed him how easy it was to fly an Ancient Puddle Jumper. Using his ATA and mere thought more than the actual controls under his hands. He shifted in the chair. The Atlantis uniform was comfortable, but he still missed his old rumpled clothes from his detective days. Not to mention a fine Scotch.

Moira sat back, checking to see that both boys were secure in their seats. She ran a hand through her hair, looked at John. His strong profile was drawn in serious lines. Stubble shadowed his jaw and chin. There was more silver among the darker hairs but it only enhanced his handsome appearance. His green eyes were focused out the viewport. His full, perfect mouth was turned downwards, half pout, half frown. Completely irresistible to Moira as her gaze wandered over his long, lean form. Even after all these years he was still impossibly handsome. "John?"

"There is it, Moira. Look."

She drew her admiring gaze from him with an effort and looked out the viewport.

Everyone stared at the planet the Jumper was lazily circling. From space it appeared serene. It was surrounded by space debris and an asteroid field. A moon was caught in its orbit, circling as the planet circled, tilted somewhat on its axis. There were no nearby planets that could be seen from here, but John knew they were out there. This was the only one that contained life, however.

Human life.

It was a blue-green planet that was mostly ocean now, as Novo Pangaea was forming far faster than any geologist has been able to predict. The combination of ecological disaster, the opening of the space/time rift and the impact of a giant Hive ship had inexorably hastened the planet's evolution to this.

Something that should have taken over two hundred fifty million years was happening at an increasingly alarming rate. And nothing could stop it.

But the planet was still home for John and Moira, a home they had grown up on, a home where they had met and fallen in love and gotten married and had raised their children until departing at last for another world.

Exchanging their lives in Vegas for one in Atlantis.

But this planet, this blue-green gem in the vastness of space would always and forever be home to them both.

Earth.


	2. Chapter 2

Vegas: Evolution2

"_It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most adaptive to change."_

**59 years after invasion.**

"Compensating for debris field and time dilation sweep. It's still gonna be rocky so hold on!" John Sheppard, fourth of that name skillfully guided the Jumper through the event horizon of the Stargate. In looks he was almost the spitting image of the first John Sheppard, the detective from Las Vegas, Nevada, Earth, who had brought Atlantis back to life and colonized it. But this John Sheppard preferred to be called Jonathan, to differentiate himself from his illustrious forebears.

Claxons screamed but the shields held and he veered past the myriad obstacles in the vehicle's path. Remnants of an asteroid collision littered space like so much garbage and he flew in a zigzag motion to avoid the larger pieces and a possibly deadly collision. The dangerous belt surrounded the blue-green planet, almost making the approach impenetrable, but John was an accomplished pilot and slid the Jumper through the minefield of debris.

"Shields holding but I wouldn't push it, Sheppard!"

John glanced over his shoulder at the pretty auburn-haired woman who was standing at the back of the Jumper, gaze glued to a scanner. "I hear ya, McKay. Just keep it powered and we'll be fine."

"That's what you said the last time," Mary McKay remarked, arching a delicate brow and meeting his gaze with a playful smirk.

"Enough, please!" a younger man insisted, his hands held up in surrender. "Geez!" He eyed the scans in front of him. "Atmosphere is breathable, just. Where are you landing, or do I even need to ask?"

John smiled at his younger brother. "Where do you think, Sean?"

"Oh brother. Are you sure it will be safe?" another young man asked, shaking his head with worry. His Scottish accent was soft but still discernible, as was his anxiety.

"Of course, Beckett, don't be silly. Well, reasonably safe. Right, McKay?"

"Safer than one of your landings," she quipped, earning a scowl from the handsome pilot. "Wow."

All stared out the viewport as the Jumper flew clear of the debris field at last and entered the planet's exosphere. Seen from orbit the planet appeared to be mostly oceanic, with a huge landmass gathered into one supercontinent around the equator. Three giant holes punctuated the landmass. Two were filled with ocean water and were a deep blue like sapphires in a copper setting. The third was an ugly scar stretching along the land like a deeply embedded trench, almost dividing the continent into two unequal halves.

"Two years after the asteroid hit and it still looks like that. Can any life survive down there?" Connor Beckett asked.

"Some. Most were evacuated off –planet but many remained. Stubborn. Somehow they survived the collision and the resulting year-long winter." Mary was shaking her head, eyes back on her scans. "The domes are still intact but I am reading very little in the way of energy signatures or any significant technology."

"I'm reading very small population pockets, apart from the sporadic animal life." Sean activated the HUD with a thought as his double ATA gene made all of the vehicle's systems instantly accessible to him. "There are bound to be evolutionary changes and adaptations to the extreme conditions."

"Survival of the fittest, eh?" John jested.

"Exactly that, John."

"Don't call me that," the elder brother reprimanded. "Here we go. Cloaking just in case."

The ship veered and descended into the planet's atmosphere. John examined his trajectory, mouth forming a hard line as he had only past charts to go by, nothing current. But he smiled. "There. The bright lights are still on. Do you believe that?"

"Of course they are. Don't land too close to the center," Mary warned. "Remember what happened last time? We don't want a repeat performance of that attack."

"And no stowaways," Sean added grimly. "If these people were stupid enough to stay here then they can buck up and get on with it."

"That's rather harsh, isn't it?" Connor accused, hands grasping his medical kit. "It must have been hard for them, to leave their home. The only home they have ever known to travel God knows where through the Stargate!"

"Our predecessors did just that, didn't they?" Sean countered.

"Under different circumstances so you cannot make a comparison to the—"

"Enough bickering!" John snapped. "It doesn't matter, now does it? I doubt anyone is left, apart from the last outpost. If they are they will have been considerably weakened by the pandemic. Right, doc?"

Connor nodded. "Aye, that is true. Don't worry, we're immune and we've been inoculated just to be sure. I have extra meds for the outpost, and maybe for any poor souls still left in the-"

"No. Only for the outpost, doc. We drop the supplies, gather the intel and then go home. That's the mission. Got it?"

"Yes, sir!" Sean mocked, saluting.

"Shut up!" John scowled, but the two young men exchanged a glance.

Mary shook her head. "Boys! Focus, would ya? There. Alter course fifty degrees. There's an isolated desert just outside the settlement where we can land safely. It's a bit of a walk, I'm afraid."

"Wonderful," Connor muttered.

"Hope you brought your walking shoes, doc. Here we go. Wow…not much left, is there," John commented as the Jumper gently lowered, lowered. Buildings could be discerned now, the remnants of a once thriving civilization. Large buildings and wide streets but both were buckling under the stress of the elements and neglect.

Still the bright lights glittered, flashes of color even in the sunlight streaming from the cloudy blue-gray sky. A few fountains sputtered and the water was a white gash against the mostly grimy buildings lining the main street.

As the ship descended a few hardy souls could be seen, darting in and out of the buildings away from the excessive heat of the day. Shimmers danced on the cracked asphalt and created waves in the air. Automatically the Jumper compensated and tinted the viewport, giving the harshness a softer, less blinding edge.

"What's the temp, McKay?"

"A balmy one hundred, Sheppard. Poor Connor will be red as a lobster."

"Ha ha. Damn it, you're right!" Connor lamented, causing laughter.

"We'll suit up until we reach the city. Then we can engage the locals if there are any left and see what's what. Get a drink too, if we're lucky. Maybe even get in a card game or some other, um, entertainment." He quirked a brow, glancing at Mary who was scowling at him.

"Hilarious, Sheppard. Hell no! This is a intel mission only, not a fucking holiday!"

"So says the scientist. Spoilsport," Sean noted sadly.

"The city? You're calling that dilapidated dump a city?" Connor mocked.

"Yes, I am. It's got lights, it's got power, and it's got everything it always had…just toned down, is all. The whole planet may have changed irrevocably but not this city, damn it. It will never surrender nor will it just disappear into the sands."

The ship slowed, skimming the hot air as it flew over the city, heading past it for the more deserted and safer environs to land. A place where the crew could disembark and then head back to the city to complete their mission.

The city was alive and active, as always. It was a place they had only read about, had only seen during its prime in movies and stories told by their grandparents and great-grandparents, who had still evinced a fondness for the place although it was more illusion then reality.

Vegas.


	3. Chapter 3

Vegas: Evolution3

"_Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge."_

John walked along the streets of Vegas with his family. The heat was tolerable, the sun a hot gold ball in the clear, clear sky bearing down with relentless precision as the little group made their way up the street. John could feel sweat prickling under his arms, on his back, at the nape of his neck and he licked his lips, wanting a drink, any drink.

He'd even settle for water.

Moira walked beside him, guiding the two boys in front of her. She squinted against the sunlight, staring around. Despite the recent ecological disaster Vegas was still thriving, like a woman bedecked and ready to dazzle all who came her way. The casino/hotels were all open, all brightly lit but the colors were faded. Tourists abounded and so did the criminals waiting to prey upon them. Cars motored up and down the street but they were becoming fewer now as gas supplies were drying up at long last.

Johnny and Seamus were staring round as well, trying to not gawk at the vast assortment of humanity, at the dereliction of the buildings despite the noise and the lights. The clinking of slot machines could still be heard on the streets as they passed casino after casino. Scantily clad women were hawking their own special wares on the corner, and both boys gaped, open-mouthed.

With a scowl Moira tugged them aside and directed them across the street.

John smirked, following. "Hey, Moy, a boy's gotta learn sometime, you know."

"Not here, sweetie," she reprimanded, "and not like this! Boys!"

The two boys blushed and pretended to ignore the female flesh on display.

John chuckled. "There. Beckett's. The place is still open, I guess."

"Even the end of the world wouldn't close a bar," Moira quipped, and quickly guided the two boys into the establishment. Darkness enveloped them, as did a coolness that was churning from a noisy air conditioner.

John stepped ahead of his family, glancing round cautiously as he removed his aviator shades. His hand slid to his jacket, feeling the familiar weight of his 9mm. He stepped to the bar, assured that the few patrons were harmless. You could never be too careful anymore.

Especially on an evolving planet.

"Hey. Scotch, straight up. Three Cokes."

"You got it, buddy. New in town?" the bartender asked, an older, surlier man who eyed the boys and the woman behind John as they stepped round him to the bar.

"Nah. We just came back for a visit. We used to live here. How's things?"

"Bad to worse, like the rest of the country." He served up the drinks, shrugging. "There's talk of sending more through that Stargate thingy to other planets to save our civilization. There's talk of some extinction event on the horizon. Well, I say if we survived the alien invasion and the space/time whatever shit we can survive anything thrown at us."

"I hear ya. Cheers." John downed the Scotch. He glanced at his family. The boys were sipping their Cokes, staring round with wide eyes at the bar, never having been in one before today. Bars were scarce in Atlantis. Moira was eying her data pad, scowling and John felt an answering jerk in his pants as he anticipated an argument with her. "Let's grab a table and wait. Boys."

The boys grabbed their Cokes and headed for an unoccupied table, whispering to each other. John waited but Moira was eying her pad. She shut it, took hold of her Coke and stepped to the bartender as he was wiping down the counter. "Actually we are still in an extinction event, even before the invasion we were. There's a third strike coming and if it does life on this planet may be extinguished for good, at least life as we know it. As the continents merge at an unprecedented rate and the subduction zone moves into the Pacific the whole planet will shift and become a—"

"Moira, I don't think he wanted a lecture, doctor. Here." John took her arm, guided her to the table where they sat with their sons.

"I'm just saying, John, that evacuation may be the only way for the human species to survive in this galaxy if something catastrophic happens to—"

"Whatever, doctor. Tone it down, would ya?"

"No, I will not tone it down, detective! That is why we are here, isn't it? To check the rate of progress of this planet's evolution and to see if the corollaries with the prehistoric past are accurate enough to predict the future! Rodney has said the third strike is coming, an asteroid that could obliterate life on Earth but we don't know when and at the current rate of—"

"Moira! Classified intel, all right?" John snapped, glaring.

Moira sighed, shook her head. "Fine, detective." She smiled at her sons. "It's all right, boys. You know how grumpy dad can be when he's only had one drink."

"Exactly! And when I am drowning in science." He waited until his sons were distracted by the sound of the jukebox coughing to life before _Sympathy for the Devil _began to play. "And when I am getting a raging hard-on from arguing with you, baby," he said quietly, his low voice close to her ear.

Moira smiled but smacked his hand off her thigh. "Keep it in your pants, Sheppard." She leaned close and brushed her lips across his stubbly cheek, sat back and sipped her Coke.

"Dad! Dad, is that an Earth song like you play in Atlantis?"

"Yes, Seamus. Quiet about that now," John warned. Although many things had been made public due to the alien invasion of the Wraith the existence of Atlantis was not one of them.

"Sorry, daddy, er dad."

"Don't worry about it, buddy."

"Mom, are we going to the house?" Johnny asked, eyes on his mother now.

"Maybe. If it's safe," she cautioned. "John?"

"Depends. Ah." John stood, eyes on the door.

A man entered the bar, stood staring round before seeing John. With quick, precise strides he made his way to the table. The few patrons were staring at him, all conversations hushed into silence. Even the air conditioner had fallen silent, as if in deference to the man's rank and importance.

The full military blues drew every eye, the array of medals and ribbons dangling and catching the light even in the darkness of the bar. But more than that it was the fact this man just happened to be the current President of the remaining United States, alone without any escort or bodyguards which made people stare in wonder and awe and curiosity.

The man halted at the table, smiled at the staring boys. He smiled at Moira who was moving to her feet but with a gesture he halted her progress. He held out his hand, shook John's with firm familiarity. "Sheppard. Good to see you again and your family."

"Thank you, sir. Good to see you too."

"How was the trip?"

"A little rough, but we made it. Travel's getting awful dicey between our um, areas due to the power requirements. McKay's working on a solution but without additional ZPMs it might take some time."

"And time is something we don't really have. Is that not so, doctor?"

"Yes," Moira agreed as the man's steely blue gaze landed on her. "Although I haven't had a chance to take fuller readings yet and confer with the geologists," Moira added. "Boys," she whispered, as they were still staring rudely.

"It's all right, Moira." The man smiled at the boys. "Let me grab a Coke and join you. I want to hear all about these two guys."

John smiled. "Of course, President O'Neill. Please, join us."


	4. Chapter 4

Vegas: Evolution4

"_All of nature is a battlefield."_

The sun was brutal. It was a burning amber disc in the molten, mottled sky that blazed down on the team as they trod across the desert. The air was thick as the atmosphere was still recovering from the effects of the asteroid impact of two years ago. The ecological damage had been devastating, wreaking untold havoc on the environment. Life had to adapt to survive, or perish.

Including human life.

John led the way, clad like his team in an orange environmental suit that was unbearably hot but necessary as their bodies adjusted to the heavier gravity of the planet and the thicker mix of oxygen and carbon dioxide. Methane gases were still a threat but largely inert now, dissipating at last as the planet recovered. John checked his wrist gauge nonetheless. It never hurt to be cautious in this situation.

It was eerily quiet. There were no animal sounds. The songs of birds were missing. The buzzing of insects was absent. There was no wind. Scrub was decayed, dying under the hot sun. Not much could flourish under these extreme conditions, but a few hardy plants were stubbornly resisting, adapting to an arid existence. Sean smiled, carefully walking around the tiny bits of green, around the small cacti which had even tinier pink blooms. He saw a beetle scurry from the shade and burrow into the dirt. It was as large as his hand and the size surprised him.

"The city is straight ahead, two klicks," Mary noted, using her gloved hand to shade her scanner from the sun's rays. They bounced off the screen and almost blinded her. "We should be able to dump these suits closer to the habitation zone. I'm reading cleaner air and some modest energy readings up ahead."

"So people are here, and still alive," Connor noted, relieved. He looked around uneasily. It felt like a ghost planet and he kept expecting some monster to leap out and attack them. "I am detecting no viral threats so far. It'd be best to keep our distance, just in case people are about, although I doubt they are contagious after this long."

"Unless the machines are all running on automated systems," Mary noted. "They wouldn't require the presence of people to function."

"There are our people. They wouldn't abandon their stations, not even now," John countered, but he sounded more confident than he actually felt. He licked his lips, shrugging his shoulder as sweat trickled along his skin. The radio at his shoulder was silent. Not even static crackled.

"The O'Neills probably wouldn't, but the rest might," Mary countered, shaking her head. "Within one or two generations the planet will be inhabitable, John. Earth will no longer be able to support a thriving human population."

"I don't believe that," John countered.

"Believe it, flyboy," Mary argued, exchanging a glance with the handsome pilot. "My readings will no doubt prove it. Novo Pangaea will be breaking up within a hundred years, and the whole cycle will begin again. The Earth is healing itself, evolving, if you will, and if humans, not to mention all life evolves with it then all are doomed."

"I bet you are such fun at parties," John quipped. "Okay, Doctor Doomsayer, whatever."

"Life is evolving. That beetle I saw…it was three times the size of its predecessors," Sean noted. "Evolution can happen very quickly if need be. Look over there!" He pointed across the vast expanse of brown desert to the brown, brown hills.

"What? I don't see anything," Connor complained, shading his eyes although the helmet of the environmental suit automatically adjusted, tinting the face plate to protect his vision.

"Over there! Elephants!"

"What the fuck? Elephants in Vegas?" John muttered. He adjusted the vision on his helmet, using the zoom feature to find what his brother was avidly watching and no doubt recording. "I'll be damned…elephants. But they look…odd."

Sean nodded, still pointing as he filmed the animals. To the casual observer they appeared to be a perfectly normal herd of African elephants, moving steadily along the distant hills as they sought shade and a watering hole away from the brutal sunlight.

Except that this was North America, not Africa. Except that this was Las Vegas, Nevada. Not the Serengeti Plain.

Since the formation of Novo Pangaea, however, as the continents collided and came together, closing the gaps between them with violent force land bridges had been formed. A new super continent had evolved, and the animals that were surviving were able to wander across the length and breadth of it just as in the prehistoric past. New migratory routes had developed to aid in survival.

The elephants themselves had evolved, slowly adapting to the new challenges of the Earth. Stronger animals passed on the genetic adjustments while the weaker ones died. These elephants were bigger, but subtly different from their forebears. Their ears were larger to compensate for the increasing heat of the day. Their tusks were longer to aid in the gathering of food and in the protection of the herd and young. In fact a second set of tusks were developing on some, below the first set to aid in digging the hard earth for precious roots and tubers and water.

"Amazing," Sean murmured, arm lowering at last. "It's just like great-grandmother Moira predicted. The return to prehistoric conditions but the fauna is evolving in different ways from their ancestors. Fascinating. Even if the humans do eventually die off the animals will find a way to adapt and survive."

"The humans will evolve as well," Connor reminded. "Isn't that what we're here to discover as well, Jonathan? We already know they have significant changes to their lung capacity to aid in breathing this thicker air. Who knows what else had changed? The survivors of the pandemic will have evolved a natural immunity and who knows what else?"

"Yes, that is one of the mission parameters," John agreed. "Let's keep moving. We're on a timetable, people. McKay, how stable is that moon's orbit?"

"Stable enough, for now," Mary replied, switching screens as the team resumed their walk across the desert. "It's not going to crash into Earth or anything like that."

"And the rift?" John glanced up at the sky to see a glimmer of green and red. The aurora was a permanent fixture of the sky now as the magnetic field had been permanently altered.

"Stable and shut. Like a wound sewn shut," Mary explained. "If anything tried to access it or come through it wouldn't survive the trauma. What are you thinking, Sheppard?"

"He's being paranoid, that's all. Come on! I can see the city from here," Sean noted, leading the group.

John fell back, fell back to walk next to Mary. He glanced at her screen. "You're not reading anything I should know about, are you? The dome is still intact around the craters?"

"Yes," she answered, after checking. "What's wrong, Sheppard? You usually aren't this worried."

"I'm not worried, just cautious." He glanced round. "This mission. There's more to it."

"Ah, here it comes. Well?" Mary waited but John was silent. They walked along, after Sean and Rowan, as if chasing their shadows across the hard desert. "Jonathan?" She smacked his arm, irritated. "It would help if I knew just exactly what I was supposed to be noticing, okay? I'm not a mind reader! Jonathan?"

"Can't say right now. Just keep an eye on all readings, okay? Anything hinky let me know."

"Fine," she sighed, used to his cryptic words and attitude.

John moved suddenly in front of the two men. "Nice and easy now, guys. Over there." He pointed to the outskirts of the city that were visible. It was a landscape of abandoned buildings and empty streets. The silence was palpable, but not threatening. "Let's dump these suits there and set up a perimeter before we engage the locals."

"They'll all be in the city proper, not out here," Connor reasoned. Nevertheless he felt the reassuring weight of his Ancient weapon at his thigh.

"Vagrants, criminals, off-worlders could be lurking," John warned. "Sean, stow that recorder, all right? We're not fucking tourists. Beckett, keep that med kit close. Doctors are scarce and like gold out here. McKay, keep your scans running."

The team grumbled, but stepped into the relative shade of a building to remove the clumsy enviro suits. The air tasted hot, thick, but fresh and they breathed deeply after the confinement of their helmets.

"Shit. Should have brought a change of shirt," Sean muttered, tugging the black fabric that was clinging to his torso, glued by his sweat.

John smirked. "All right, people. Let's do Vegas!"


	5. Chapter 5

Vegas: Evolution5

"_As for a future life, every man must judge for himself between conflicting vague probabilities."_

Moira touched her younger son's arm. It was a gentle, soothing caress that calmed the younger boy as he stared at the table, overcome by sudden shyness. She looked at Johnny who was beginning an eye roll, but the expression on his mother's face stilled him. She turned to John who was watching Jack O'Neill chat with the bartender as he got his Coke, as if he was just another guy in Vegas trying his luck in the casinos and not probably the last leader of the free world. "John, I really need to go over my notes for the meeting. Why don't Seamus and I head out for the Bellagio so we can—"

"No." At her scowl he replied, glancing at his younger son, "we stay together at all times. Those are the rules, Moy, you know that."

"Yes, sweetie, I do know that, but I need to prep for this and I'm sure one of those nice Secret Service men who are waiting outside will escort us safely to the—"

"I said no, Moira. And don't call me sweetie in public," he remarked quietly, causing her to briefly smile at his irate tone. "Seamus, it's all right, buddy. Johnny, no."

"I didn't say anything, dad!"

"You don't have to say it to say it," John remonstrated. "Behave, junior."

"Don't call me junior in public," Johnny retorted. He met his father's gaze.

John smirked at his son. "That's funny, sport. Real funny. Ya know, I think the Athosians need another guy to help dig those wells on P15M45. You just got elected."

"Dad!" Johnny complained, as Seamus laughed.

"Oh oh. Sounds like someone's fun just got ruined," Jack joked, joining them.

"Something like that," John agreed, giving his sons the you better behave look. He regarded the older man. "Sir, how are things here?"

Jack sighed. "As well as can be expected. You want the truth, John? It sucks. Sorry," he shrugged at Moira, the boys, "but that's the honest truth. More than likely we will have to abandon this planet and quite frankly that pisses me off. Moira, weren't you working on a timetable for that?"

"Yes…in conjunction with the other geologists here. I need to show them the scans we took from space and then correlate the facts on the ground. In fact I would like to do that now, if you don't mind, Jack. I can take the boys so you two can talk freely."

"Moira," John began to complain, green eyes narrowing in ire at her, "we stick together."

"No, that's a fine idea, Moira. Don't worry, John. I'll have my men take them to the Bellagio and keep tabs on them. They'll be perfectly safe."

Moira stood, gesturing for the boys to do the same when John shook his head. "No. With all due respect, sir, I would prefer my family to remain with me during our stay here in Vegas. Sorry, but I just don't want them out of my sight."

"John! Stop being so overzealously protective! We will be fine!" Moira argued.

"No. You can check the conference on your lap top over there. Boys, go see if you can get that jukebox working." The silence was oppressive, and John wanted some music to cover any conversation. Plus he wanted to hear what else was on the jukebox.

Hearing his tone the boys exchanged a glance and headed for the decrepit machine, Cokes in hand. Moira sighed, her expression conveying all the things she wanted to say to her husband but couldn't at that moment. She snatched her laptop off the table and followed after her sons.

John watched them, glanced at the doors, the other patrons. His gaze finally settled on the President once more. "Sorry, sir."

"No need to apologize. I'd be the same way. Pretzel?"

"Yeah. Thanks." The two men munched on the small pretzels.

"We've already got evacuation plans in place," Jack stated, with no preamble. "All over the world which is considerably smaller. I'm sure you've noticed. Still, there are those who will refuse to leave. Which is why I am prepping stations around the landmass to be manned by volunteers. There will always be a human population on Earth, no matter how small."

John nodded. But then the shoe dropped and he met Jack's blue eyes. "You want me to man one of those outposts."

Jack nodded. "Yes. I know what you're thinking, John. I'd be crazy to pull you out of Atlantis when you are running the city and the expedition. Who's in charge right now?"

"McKay and Weir."

"Good. I'm sure they can handle it. And yes, I know that your sons are, shall we say, endowed with additional abilities that make them advantageous to the city and to the very survival of it against the Wraith and all other threats. You've done good work over there, John, don't think this is a demotion or anything. But things here…things here are not so good."

"And you think I would be better deployed here?" John asked, startled by the suggestion. Stunned too. He glanced at his sons. They were arguing quietly, on their knees as they had opened the back of the jukebox and were fiddling with its internal workings. Bits of music came and went in a discordant buzz. Moira sat near, accessing information on her laptop. Clearly irritated with her husband. He smiled briefly.

"Yes."

"Excuse me, sir, but that doesn't track with me. I mean we have a limited population as it is, and those with the ATA gene are fewer, even with the gene therapy that Beckett devised," John argued, meeting the older man's gaze again. "I think I am of more use over there than I would be here." He sipped his Scotch.

"That may be true, but I would feel better if men I knew were at these various posts spread across the planet. The one here in Vegas, for example. Or the one in Cheyenne Mountain, in Colorado Springs. Guarding the Stargate is of the utmost importance now that we have moved it to the higher elevations. Just consider it, John. It's an option. I am one of the volunteers staying behind."

"You? I…wow. I bet Sam didn't like that."

"No, she didn't," Jack recalled with a smile. "But she knows I am intractable on this. Whether she stays or goes is entirely up to her, when the time comes. Just think about it. Now," Jack stood, and John quickly stood with him, "I should be on my way. I have to attend some boring science conference about the end of the world again, and you know how those scientists love to talk and talk and theorize." The men shared a smile.

"Don't I know it, sir."

"Yes. Luckily I downloaded the last episodes of _The Simpsons_ so I can watch that."

Suddenly a blare of music shot from the machine. A mix of the Rolling Stones and Depeche Mode that was a cacophony of rock and roll startling everyone. Lights flashed and electricity flared, then it all died down with a whine.

"Whoa! What the hell did you do, junior?" John demanded, striding over as both boys sprang back from the slightly smoking machine. "Johnny?"

"I just switched some wires, dad, I swear! Just like Uncle Rod does and then swoosh!"

"Swoosh? Shit. Are you two all right?"

"Yes, daddy but look! It spins!" Seamus pointed at the discs all spinning round and round like in a crazy carnival ride.

Moira closed her laptop, not all perturbed by this latest experiment. It would have been more disturbing if her sons weren't up to their knees in some mess of their own creation. She stood. "Boys, don't break the jukebox. Put it back the way you found it." She stepped to John, touched his arm. "John? What it is?"

John watched his sons as they cautiously opened the back panel and began to undo what they had done. He met her gaze. "Later, Moy. Let's get this science crap over with so we can see the sights and visit our old home."

"All right, sweetie." She studied him, concerned. She could tell something had rattled him. She caressed his arm a moment then looked over as the bartender was heading their way. "Oh oh. I hope you can talk your way out of this one, John."

"Huh?" He glanced at the man, then to his sons. "No problem, baby. Don't you worry. If not I will deduct all costs from Frick and Frack's allowances for at least a month."

"What? Dad!" Both boys said at the same time, popping out of the back panel and staring at their father with such utter chagrin that John laughed.


	6. Chapter 6

Vegas: Evolution6

"_I love fools' experiments. I am always making them."_

John led his team into the streets, towards the city. They had dumped their enviro suits and now appeared like any other Earthling of the year 2070, clad in casual, light-colored clothes and hats and sunglasses. Water bottles were affixed to their belts, their weapons hidden under their woven shirts. The Strip had once been a thriving, vibrant spectacle of lights and noise and casino/hotels open twenty-four hours.

Now the street was drab. The neon lights were dimmed but still blinking. No one appeared. The few people they had seen moving from building to building had seemingly disappeared. It was oddly disturbing, this lack of people where once crowds could be found. The heat was a palpable, suffocating blanket. A few fountains still spurted but water was precious and could no longer be wasted on extravagant displays. The musical sounds of change tinkling from slot machines could still be heard, but when the team peered into the darkened depths of the buildings the sounds ceased. People scurried into the shadows like rats.

Other things were moving in the shadows as well.

Connor wanted to hail the few people still about but John refused, pulling him back. Something was off and he didn't like it. As they drew closer to the outpost there were more signs of normalcy, at least what passed for normalcy in this brave new world. A few more people could be dimly seen in the buildings, seemingly hiding from the interlopers.

Except for the prostitutes who eyed the newcomers with suspicion and speculation. Their eyes lingered on John's handsome face and form, their smiles as bright as their henna-colored blond hair. A few struck up provocative poses as their clothes seem to melt from their bodies.

Mary rolled her eyes and pulled the men along, shaking her head in disgust at their appreciative gawking.

"Come on! Have you never seen women before?" she snapped.

"Women like that are scarce in Atlantis," John drawled.

"Damn right they are! Men! This way!" Mary imperiously led them down the street.

The men chuckled at her ire. "What? We are supposed to engage the inhabitants," Connor noted with a sly smile.

"Not in that way!" Mary scolded. "Sheppard!"

John snorted as he was hauled to the center of the road. "What? Beckett's right."

"Shut up! Sean, where's the conference call? Sean?"

Sean was staring at a trio of scantily-clad women. Women even more scantily-clad than the Athosian women, or should that be less clad, he wondered. He chuckled, eyed his scanner. "This way. What was once the Mirage. The one with the volcano."

"That's appropriate, given the cause for concern," Mary noted.

"Huh? Whaddya talking about?" John asked, all business now.

"You'll find out. I have my secrets, too, Sheppard."

"Wonderful. Women," he muttered. He glanced at his brother. "Seanny, put your tongue back in your mouth and catch up! Connor, let's go, doc! They don't need a med exam!" John ran his hand down his thigh to feel the reassuring weight of his weapon. He could feel eyes on him. Hostile eyes from the shadows that made his hair stand on end.

The two younger men exchanged a wry glance and hastened after their friends.

"You are now entering an authorized zone. You are now entering an authorized zone," blared a bland voice from loudspeakers. There was a police presence here, armored cars and men patrolling the streets. Guns and stunners visible even against their black on black uniforms.

John slowed, as did his team. He stopped as a group approached them, guns bristling, TAC vests shiny in the glaring sunlight. They were an impressive sight, intimidating. The letters LVPD white on their breasts above an American flag. John held up his hand. "Hi."

The security detail stopped in front of them. Stood a moment, staring, their faces masked by their tinted visors. Assessing. Then the leader removed his and smiled, revealing a freckled face and blue eyes. "Sheppard! We detected your approach and then lost ya! Welcome to Vegas."

John smiled, relaxing. "O'Neill. We're not late, are we?

"Of course you are. You are always late. This way. Stand down," he ordered. He winked at Mary. "How is the sexiest physicist in the galaxy these days?"

Mary smiled at him. "The answer is still no, O'Neill. Let's go."

"Does she ever change?" Charlie O'Neill asked as the men followed after her.

"No. I hope she never does," John said with a satisfied smile.

The group entered what had once been the Mirage casino/hotel and now was the outpost for Vegas. Slot machines were still active, and soldiers loitered, gambled, drank. As if it was just another day in Vegas. Charlie led them up the stairs to the heart of the operation. Where the plush carpets gave way to solid flooring. Where the sounds of gambling were muted. Where the real existence of life on the planet was exhibited by screens on the walls, by charts, by an ominous clock counting down to some as yet unimaginable disaster.

"McKay, your hook-up is there," Charlie pointed to a row of computers. He eyed the men. "Sheppard, biological statistics are on the right. Beckett, medical is down the hall. We need your opinion on the latest developments." He gestured and led John to a relatively quiet corner. "Radio communication's been down, damn solar flares. What's the word?"

John was silent. He handed over a small data pad. Shrugged. "Your call, colonel."

"Wonderful." Charlie activated the screen and read the scrolling words. They were terse. Precise. Direct orders from a government that had relocated not only to another planet but to another galaxy.

"Worse case scenario," John added needlessly. He glanced round. Mary was absorbed in the flow of data, lips pursed together, brows knitting as her fingers flew on the keyboard. Sean was likewise engaged, but his face was open with wonder and surprise. John wondered how Beckett was faring, not liking a member of his team to be out of his sight. Not on this planet.

"I see." Charlie shut off the device and returned it to John, who slid it into his pocket. "I can't believe it's come down to this, Sheppard."

"Nor can I, O'Neill."

"You read it?" Surprise.

"Yeah."

"John! You won't believe this! It's like a population expansion! This proves the adaptation of some species which are actually thriving in this extreme environment. But there have been mass extinctions," Sean called from where he was sitting, reading data and watching two screens at once. "Some appear to be reverting to their more primitive forms to survive…like the genetic switches have been thrown to accommodate the new conditions! Even in humans, I'm betting, but I need to check with Beckett on this."

"That's it." Mary stood, joining them. Her voice was grave, serious, a contrast to the more jubilant tones of Sean. "It's inevitable. I've run every simulation with the new data plus yours, colonel, and our timetable just got shorter. There's no escaping it. The third strike is coming, very soon. And there's not a damn thing we can do about it."

"Third strike? What are you talking about? Another asteroid?" John asked.

"No," Mary said, her gaze locked with Charlie's as comprehension was written on his grim face. "Earth has survived everything thrown at it. So has humanity. But this…this will effectively wipe out half of the landmass not to mention populations. This is it, colonel. The third strike."

"Which is?" John asked, impatient.

"A super volcano. It's always been there, quiet for years, but with all of the ecological changes plus the impact of the Hive ship and then the asteroid the magma chamber pressure is rising and highly unstable and building at an incredible rate. The Yellowstone Caldera is going to blow, and when it does…"

"It will take half of the United States with it," Charlie finished dourly for her.

"Not only that, colonel. It will take out half the planet," Mary corrected.


	7. Chapter 7

Vegas: Evolution7

"_To kill an error is as good a service as, or sometimes even better than the establishment of a new truth or fact."_

Moira was cursing in her head. The facts were incontrovertible, the figures undeniable but she still was swearing silently as she stood. "That's not true! Stop denying what is right in front of your eyes!" she declared. The lights from the overhead screen bathed her in a map of the Earth, casting an eerie glow onto her white t-shirt.

"Doctor Sheppard, we have several scenarios to discuss and yours is only one of—"

"With all due respect, Doctor Lee, mine is the only one that is inevitable. Look, no one wants to face the end of this planet, but it inevitable. Doctor McKay would agree with me if he were here. He has calculated that this asteroid will hit. It is only a question of when, not if. He has narrowed it down to three possible choices of when it will hit with a projected trajectory. The impact could result in another mass extinction against which we would be helpless."

"Could. Could result, doctor. Or it could harmlessly pass us by, like the others have. Or more than likely land in the ocean as the continents will have formed Novo Pangaea by then, thus sparing us from a devastating—"

"It will still be devastating! Can't you see that? The ecological disasters alone resulting from a direct hit will end most of the life on this planet, if not all of it! Can't you see that? You need to drop this Pollyana attitude and prepare for the end!"

"Moira." John's voice was low, holding both amusement and caution as he sat beside her, lounging in the shadows of the conference hall. His gaze locked onto her, listening to her every word. He glanced at his sons who were in the back of the room, playing some computer game with other children, oblivious.

Moira glanced at him. "I'm just saying…" She resumed her seat at his raised brow.

"The truth is we don't know what will happen or even when it will happen. Not even Doctor McKay can predict it with one hundred percent accuracy. We are tracking these asteroids but anything could alter their course. Frankly our more immediate concerns are with the subduction zone and the earthquakes. We will continue with the evacuations, of course, on a purely voluntary basis, of our best and brightest. But for now the government has elected to stay." Richard Woolsey eyed the scientists gathered at the table, as if daring any of them to gainsay his statement. "With the Ancient tech provided by Colonel Sheppard we can shore up the domes and they will last for centuries, protecting us from the residual radiation."

"Not against the asteroid," Moira muttered, "and if that caldera goes you can all kiss your asses goodbye."

John snorted, touched her thigh under the table. "That's my prim paleontologist."

"Shut up, detective," she whispered, glancing at him but a smile tugged her lips.

"The data you've collected from space in invaluable. Thank you. As for speculation we have plenty of that too. You can't draw parallels from the prehistoric past to—"

"Of course I can! Can't you see?" Moira was on her feet again, her raised voice drawing the attention of her sons now. "It's happening again, but at a much faster rate! If any of you had bothered to study the history of the Earth you would see the patterns, the way that each and every extraterrestrial event has profoundly impacted life on Earth, leading to mass extinctions and the rise of new life forms, new forms of evolution! Only this time the humans won't win out, because they can't. They have done too much to this planet for it to recover in time to support us! Another life form will emerge, maybe one better, maybe once worse, I don't know, but we as a species are finished! At least here. After the third strike."

There was stunned silence at her declarations. Then a cacophony of voices all rose at once, arguing, gesticulating. They sounded angry, defiant, unprepared to accept the inevitable.

Moira ignored them all. She turned. "John, we're through here."

"Okay." John stood, gestured for her to walk ahead of him. "Boys," he called. He glanced at the scientists, the politicians and ushered his family out of the conference room.

"Mommy, mommy, what that mean?" Seamus asked, grabbing her hand.

She met his gaze. "It's all right, honey. The planet is changing, evolving, and we have to evolve with it. Well, not us. We live in Atlantis so we will be fine."

"What about the animals, mommy?" Seamus asked, all concerned.

She sighed, hugged him to her as they walked. "I don't know, honey. But animals are more adaptable than humans. Don't you worry," she soothed.

"And the elephants?"

"Yes, them too," she assured, but she knew the impending threat would doom all creatures, big and small.

"Mom, why won't they listen to you?" Johnny asked, walking beside her.

"I don't know, darling. Because they are stubborn. Because they don't want to face the reality. I can't blame them. They see the truth but they can't quite believe it."

"None of us can," John noted. "It's not an easy thing, to hear about the end of the world, ya know."

"I know. It makes me sick to think about it," Moira softly agreed. She hugged her sons to her suddenly.

"It will be all right, mom. Like you said, life will evolve. And if not we can always seed the planet once it is better, like the Ancients seeded the Pegasus galaxy."

"That's good thinking, junior. We may have to take a vacation from Earth but we'll be back." John frowned, thinking of Jack's words. "Tell me, Moy, when this thing hits will anyone survive?"

"Probably. Isolated pockets, if they go deep underground until the atmosphere clears. Or in the domes if the radiation levels have decreased enough by then. I don't know. Humans have survived catastrophes throughout history. Some will survive this one. Biodiversity however…that will take longer to revive."

"It makes me sad, mom, to think of that," Seamus noted, pouting.

"Me too, honey." She lightly kissed his brow.

The family headed for the elevators. "Wait." John caught her arm, halting her. "Let's head out to the house."

"Now? John, are you sure? I mean we delivered all the data but surely you have reports and stuff about Atlantis, right? All that military stuff," she teased.

"Already done while you were doing science and scaring the shit of them," John noted with a smile. "I wanna ride out to the house. I think it's still standing."

"House? What house, daddy, er, dad?"

"Our old house, sport. Remember it?"

"I do, dad! Wind Chime Lane," Johnny said with a smile. "When we were little, Seamus," he reminded his brother.

"Oh." Puzzled the little boy eyed his parents. "We live in Vegas?"

"We did, a long time ago," John said. "When you see it you'll remember it."

"John, is it safe?" Moira asked.

"Yeah. Don't you worry. Let's grab some water and some food and get going. We can stay out there a few hours before we return to Atlantis. Ride's outside. You won't believe it, Moy, but my old car is still in service! How cool is that?"

She smiled, replied coyly, "I'm surprised that thing is still running. It barely worked back then."

"Hey! Don't you go insulting my car. Boys, road trip!"


	8. Chapter 8

Vegas: Evolution8

"_From so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being evolved."_

Men were on the move. They were hoisting their meager supplies onto carts pulled by horses, carefully wrapping computers and data pads and all kinds of electronic devices. They were gathering their weapons and artillery. Their faces were grim, resolved, resigned. They moved in silence. Words had no place as they followed the orders. As they packed up what was necessary, what was needed.

As they prepared to leave their post.

As they prepared to leave Earth.

John stood with Charlie in the rapidly emptying control room. He glanced out the window to see McKay scanning the surroundings, Sean by her side. Connor was helping load a medical kit. John looked back at Charlie. "We knew it would come to this someday, O'Neill. The final evac of the last post. We'll be back, eventually."

"I know. It still pisses me off," the other man dourly noted.

"Orders are orders," John reminded with a shrug. "Besides, you'll like Atlantis. With your ATA you will be able to run all kinds of ops and things. And the Jumpers are pretty sweet."

"Is the DVD selection decent?"

John smiled. "Yeah. Very. We've got everything now." He looked round the room. The gray walls were stripped of maps and charts. "And our décor is much better than whoa!" He held up his hands as a gun was pointed at him. "Charlie? Whaddya doin'"

"What I have to do, Sheppard. I ain't leaving."

"What? You have to leave! You've been given direct orders!"

"I just rescinded them. Go. Take the men and go. Say I went AWOL or something. What are they gonna do? Send out a search party for me. I'm not leaving Earth."

"That's suicide," John observed, eyes on the gun that was still trained on him.

"Maybe. Maybe not. Come back in ten years and find out, would ya?"

"Okay. I will. Charlie…are you sure? Are you damn sure about this?"

Charlie nodded. "Yeah. I've got supplies, and contacts with the others. Go now, John. It's my decision and I've made it. Go."

John nodded. "Okay. Good luck. You're gonna need it."

"Have a safe trip back through the 'Gate. Say hi to Sara Hammond for me."

"I will." John turned his back on his friend, trusting he wouldn't be shot, and headed out of the room. He descended the stairs and exited the building.

"Hey, we're ready to go, Sheppard. Where's O'Neill?" Connor asked.

"He's gone. Let's head out!"

"What? Whaddya mean he's…that stubborn sonovabitch!" Mary began to march towards the hotel when John grabbed her arm.

"No."

"No? We can't leave him here! It's suicide!"

"He's made the decision, and has a gun to enforce it. Mary, no!" John forcibly held her back. "Let's head out now! Get those carts moving!"

"This is crazy, Jonathan! We can't—"

He met her gaze. "We can and we will. His choice. Let's go." He began to lead her after the carts as they trundled down the road.

"There are eyes on us again," Sean noted, moving next to his brother. "But not human."

"Animal?" John asked, still keeping a grip on Mary's arm.

"No."

Gunfire erupted. "Shit! Down!" John drew his weapon, shoving Mary to the cart as he whirled, aiming at the shadows in the buildings. "Report! How many?"

"Ten, at least, sir! Bogeys on each side! Scared 'em off but we gotta get outta here before dark!" one man shouted.

"Form up and lead us out, lieutenant! Sean, take point! Beckett, status?"

Connor was crouching near the cart, using a pair of binoculars to scan the darkness, to reveal what it concealed. "Good Lord. They're not human…at least not any more. The next evolution, Sheppard. McKay, train your zoom on that!"

Mary lifted her binoculars and aimed where Connor was pointing. "Good Lord!" she echoed.

"What? What?" John scowled, gun lowering as Mary shoved the binoculars across his eyes. "Shit."

A weird sight invaded his vision. The creatures were bathed in a greenish glow that penetrated the darkness of the building where they hid. They were bi-pedal, humanoid in appearance but hairier. They had longer arms. Tattered clothing adorned them. Their faces were longer, more angular. Their noses smaller, chests thicker. Their skin had an oddly reptilian cast to it, scales to protect against the harsh rays of the sunlight.

"That's what's gonna inherit the Earth?" John asked, disgusted and fascinated all at once.

"'Fraid so, Sheppard. Let's get moving." Mary pulled his arm, removed the binoculars and they began to follow along with the cart.

"John!" Sean ran back to him, excited. "Did you see them? Did you see? We have to stay and study them! These things are unlike anything in the data base! We have to—"

"No, Seanny, we're going home. End of mission. Team extraction is complete."

"John! Do you have any idea how important this is? A wholly new species is evolving! We can communicate with them, not kill them! John, we have to—"

"I said no, Seanny! Get back into line and guide these men to our ship! That's a direct order!" John bellowed.

Sean swore, glanced at Mary who shrugged. He scowled, but jogged back to the head of the line.

"He's got a point, Sheppard. I mean we need to study these—"

"No, Beckett, don't you start as well! We are to leave this planet to its own evolution and so we shall."

"And what about leaving no man behind?" Mary challenged.

He glanced at her. "His decision. I'm not gonna force him."

"Son of a bitch," Mary muttered, but her tone was more wistful than angry. She strode away from him, along the side of the convoy, checking her scanner again.

John watched her, frowning. He glanced round, but the shadows were still. Guns quiet as the men moved along, on the alert. As they reached the outskirts of town he turned, staring back at the dim lights, the decrepit buildings.

He stared at the ruins of what had once been a vibrant city. A vibrant planet. Earth. A planet now that was doomed. A planet where humans were becoming rarer and rarer, an exotic species much like they had been millions and millions of years ago. Until they had taken over and inherited the Earth.

Only to lose it.

John was smiling, however. Life would go on. Life would evolve, was evolving, and he had no doubt O'Neill would survive, and would be here to great him in ten years. John vowed to himself to return, to see what changes the ecosystem had wrought on the planet, on life itself. Earth would never be entirely abandoned. Not if he had anything to say about it.

He stood as the sun began to set behind the buildings, behind the dark hills on the horizon.

He stared at the ruins of what had once been Vegas.

And he smiled.


	9. Chapter 9

Vegas: Evolution9

"_A man's friendships are one of the best measures of his worth."_

"He asked me to stay."

John's sudden words broke across the silence of the late afternoon, startling Moira as she morosely stared out of the window at the backyard. The house was indeed still standing. Dingy, dusty, abandoned but intact. The boys were in the backyard, exploring the wild growth of weeds and cataloging everything they saw.

"What?" She turned to see John standing in the doorway, the sexy slouch he always employed to both entice her and to deflect his serious concerns. "Who? Jack? Stay here? Stay here on Earth? In Vegas?"

"Yeah." He folded his arms across his chest.

"And?" She found his reticence both annoying and alluring. At his silence she turned back to watch her sons. They were tossing a football back and forth, exploration momentarily forgotten. "You refused, of course," she decided. "You are needed in Atlantis. And our sons belong there. You've said it countless times. Even Emily belongs although she lacks an ATA. Why would he want you to stay here now? To man the last outpost of humanity while the planet evolves? We can't do that, John. As much as I would like to study the effects and all we can't do that to the children. It wouldn't be fair to them. Or to us, come to think of it."

John walked over to her. He wrapped his arms around her waist, drawing her body against his. "Yeah, I guess. But I did consider it, baby. Staying in Vegas, at least for a little while. If we didn't have those pesky Wraith to fight I just might do it."

She caught his hands before they could wander in a sensual exploration. "Is that so, detective? No. Too many people depend upon you back home. McKay especially would go bonkers and drive everyone crazy if you weren't around."

"I could leave a case of lemons to keep him in line," John jested.

She smiled. "True…but it's not the lemons. It's your friendship. And Beckett. And Lorne. Your original team. Our team, detective, remember?"

"How could I ever forget?" he asked. "A physicist, a doctor, an artist, and of course a very sexy paleontologist that helped me save the world from the Wraith. And now we are in a whole different galaxy running Atlantis and fighting the Wraith again." He looked at his sons tossing the football back and forth. "Is this world really going to end, Moy? In the way you said it was?"

"Yes. I'm afraid so, John. Not end so much as…change. So much will be lost. So much beauty and biodiversity will be lost. It's happened many times, over the millennia." She turned in his arms to face him. Ran her hands up his chest, along the rumpled fabric of his black t-shirt. "Do you really want to stay here?"

He shrugged. "Maybe. It is our home, after all, Moira. Our home planet, our home galaxy. Kinda hard to just abandon it forever, ya know?"

"I know." She sighed. "We can always come back, but we can't live here, John. The children wouldn't be any safer here than they are in Atlantis."

"I know." He kissed her, a slow motion of his mouth on hers. "How about some last sex on Earth, baby, hmm?" His hands slid down to cup her rear, to gently squeeze. "I'd like to take this pert little ass on the counter, baby."

She laughed. "Later, sweetie. Now behave." She turned back to view the boys. "Do you think they will remember Earth at all? Will their children remember it?"

"Whoa! I'm not a grandpa yet! Am I?"

"No!" She laughed as he did. "I'm just saying. I guess we could come back here for our retirement. By then Vegas will be beachfront property."

"Hilarious, Moy. I'd rather go to the waterfall planet. Or a planet with lots of beaches. Still have to find one like that."

"In your dreams, colonel."

"I miss surfing," he mourned quietly. "There are no decent waves in the Pegasus galaxy."

They were silent, watching their sons exclaim and play in the backyard. Just two boys being carefree under the protective gaze of their parents. All that was missing from the idyllic scene was the dog, but the dog was back in Atlantis with their daughter and their friends. Birds sang in the trees. The sunlight was bright, strong, casting a golden haze over everything.

As if to gild the last days of Earth in gold to lock in the memory.

The rusty remains of a swing set were almost subsumed by the dry, dead weeds. The boys were climbing on it, glancing towards the house lest their parents see and start to scold them. Nevertheless the continued to climb over it until they jumped to the ground as the old metal began to shake under their weight. Their laughter was a cheerful sound.

"What is it?" he asked low into her ear, sensing her change in mood. He knew it had nothing to do with his adventurous sons. His arms tightened around her, as if to comfort her, to keep her safe and close. "Moy?"

"It's ending, John. Something we never should see, that no one should have seen for millions of years. All of this will be gone. Mankind's imprint will remain, but most of it will be gone. And life…life will vanish. At least life as we know it. The final extinction at last."

"Not entirely, Moira. We've gone across the stars now. We've gone through the Stargate to find worlds just like ours, or similar. And we've gone into another galaxy now. Atlantis. Life doesn't remain stagnant, does it? It is always changing and adapting. Survival of the fittest, right?"

"Yes. It just makes me sad, to lose all of this. All of the wonderful creatures that have survived the depredations of man so far won't survive, at least not in their current forms. Maybe we should stay here, to be the final witnesses to it."

"I don't like the sound of that, but yeah, I think that was one of Jack's objectives. He wants men he can trust to man the last outposts when the time comes. And according to you that time is approaching sooner rather than later."

"Yes."

John frowned, considering. "And the waves here are pretty decent. Weird, isn't it? That Vegas now is only a few miles from a coastline. Both west and east. The whole climate's gone crazy. The worldwide stats are not any better. I took a peak during that meeting. Mountain ranges are rising, the sea levels are rising and the temperatures are going to extremes. Still, things aren't too bad right here, and even better at Cheyenne Mountain if it came to moving there. At least I could get in some decent skiing," he added wryly.

"Is it all about the vacation spot and sports for you?" she flared. "I'm surprised you haven't mentioned football yet!"

"Well, now that you have mentioned it I do miss the weekly games and as long as there is a United States football will go on. Ya know the boys would love to see a real game and even play a real game with real teams. I bet I could pull some strings and—"

"Forget I mentioned it!" He chuckled at her tone. "Does that mean you want to stay?" she asked. She caressed his hands, catching them in hers again. "I don't think we should, John. Seriously. The family belongs in Atlantis. Our friends are there. Our lives are there. We belong there."

"Is that so, Moira? I guess you're right."

She turned to face him. She kissed him, sliding her arms around his neck, pressing her body along his in erotic invitation. Another kiss, as she savored the perfect fullness of his lips, the feel of his mouth along hers. "Of course you know the real reason we can't stay here, don't you, detective?"

John smiled, guiding her body along his. Enjoying her affection, her love. "And what would that be, doctor? Oh, let me guess. The sex room?"

"No! Not the love nest. It's quite simple, detective."

"Are you going to tell me or am I gonna half to guess this one?" he inquired, raising a brow.

"You can't have an Atlantis without a Sheppard," she informed with a smile.

John smiled. "Damn right," he agreed.

"Mom! Mom, come see!"

Moira turned at the shouting. The boys were jumping round, gesticulating wildly up to a tree where an animal was crouched. "I'm coming!" She freed herself from her husband and hastened to them to see what they had found.

John smiled, watching them. As much as he might be tempted to remain he knew he couldn't stay here. He knew he belonged in Atlantis with his wife, his children and his friends. He belonged in the city and the city knew it as well.

Besides, what Moira had said was absolutely true.

You couldn't have an Atlantis without a Sheppard.

THE END


End file.
